Eagles notes: Reid defends call to re-insert Asomugha

PHILADELPHIA — Andy Reid defended the decision to put the partially blinded Nnamdi Asomugha back on the field against the Giants Sunday.

Reid said doctors who evaluated Asomugha felt the cornerback was seeing clearly enough after getting poked in the eye to allow him to play without endangering himself.

Preliminarily, Asomugha is a go for practice this week as the Birds prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

“He finished the game OK and he’s OK today,” Reid said Monday. “We were lucky we had a specialist right there, so we were able to take care of that. They gave him drops to put in there (Sunday) night and he’ll be reevaluated against tomorrow. It takes about 24 hours for the drops.”

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Chances are the Eagles would be 2-2, not 3-1 had Asomugha not returned to the game he left in the first half.

Just the same, quarterback Eli Manning and the Giants gave Asomugha their own eye test, taking shots down the field at him.

Asomugha plays such a physical press style that he’s been called for pass interference four times this season, although one was declined.

Referee Ron Winter’s crew called illegal contact on Asomugha defending 6-foot-6 receiver Ramses Barden, giving the Giants a first down at the 22-yard line of the Eagles with 49 seconds left. The contact was nearly too close to call, Asomugha slightly grabbing the shirt of his opponent.

Two plays later, Winter flagged Barden for offensive interference on Asomugha, who had run inside the receiver and was looking back for the ball. That 10-yard penalty and suspect Giants playcalling with the clock running down and no timeouts resulted in Lawrence Tynes attempting and missing a 54-yard field attempt in the waning seconds. Tynes’ career-long was 53 yards.

Was that offensive interference a make-up call?

“I don’t know because the slant on the same drive, I felt like it was fine,” Asomugha said of the play resulting on defensive interference. “But obviously there have been times when I felt that and go back and watch it on TV and it wasn’t that way. So I didn’t know. But I don’t think it was a make-up call. I think it was clear and I thought it was evident.”

With just two tackles, Asomugha has had better games. But he showed Andy Reid his true grit.

“We all have things we have to work on,” Reid said. “He’s no exception and he has that mentality to do that. I was proud that he came back in and fought like crazy to get back out there and to play. He challenged, that’s what he did. When some of you have a chance to look at the tape you’ll see that when you have help over the top and you’re in a trail position, sometimes it looks like you might be getting beat down the field.”

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Offensive tackle King Dunlap (hamstring) returns to practice this week. The coaches are in no hurry to give Dunlap back the job currently belonging to Demetress Bell.

“I want to see him out there and see what he can do first,” Reid said of Dunlap.

Longsnapper Jon Dorenbos (ankle) also toughed it out for the Birds along with defensive tackle Derek Landri (knee inflammation) and quarterback Michael Vick (knee contusion). They’re expected to practice this week.

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Vick said he wanted to keep private the pep talk of Eagles icon Brian Dawkins, whose No. 20 was retired Sunday. Linebacker DeMeco Ryans was so moved he attacked the question head on.

“Brian Dawkins is just a very passionate guy,” Ryans said. “The way he talked to us just about this game being about us, and not about him, it just shows how selfless he is. Even though this is his day, we’re retiring his jersey and it’s a big day for him.”

Then again, Dawkins did have one little request.

“He just let us know that he doesn’t like the Giants,” Ryans said with a grin, “and he wanted us to go out and get the win.”

NOTES: Speaking of Winter — the referee, not the season — the Eagles have won the last three times his crew has officiated their games. … Get used to Jamar Chaney (three tackles) at weak side linebacker for probably another week, as Akeem Jordan (hamstring) recovers. Chaney didn’t exactly get a glowing evaluation: “Jamar did a decent job, yeah,” Reid said. “He did a pretty good job there.” … Cornerback Brandon Hughes, on the other hand, did a solid job filling in for Asomugha. Hughes played physically and didn’t let any Giants get behind him. … Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, coming off ACL surgery, is slated to make his season debut Sunday when the Steelers host the Eagles. The Steelers also could welcome back star safety Troy Polamalu, who has been slowed by a calf injury.